


go on and cry, baby

by emmerrr



Series: To live will be an awfully big adventure [11]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Andrew takes care of his boy, Fluff, Hungover Neil, M/M, mentions of The Fox and the Hound
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-18
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2019-02-04 01:01:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12759885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmerrr/pseuds/emmerrr
Summary: “What about you guys, any plans?”Neil chooses that moment to let out a colossal pained groan from the bedroom, one that sounds an awful lot like, “Huuuurnghhhh.”Andrew jerks his head towards the source of that sound. “I’ll be dealing with that all day.”





	go on and cry, baby

**Author's Note:**

> written to fill an andreil prompt of one character reacting to the other crying.  
> (don't worry, it's the opposite of angst!)

Neil, it turns out, is a sentimental drunk.

If sober Neil is ready to roast anyone at the slightest provocation, then drunk Neil is just the same, except with compliments instead. Because Neil is only ever drunk around his Foxes, all of whom he is so full of love for that it has to have an outlet at  _some_ point.

Currently, they’re in the girls’ room, sans the baby Foxes (because honestly, fuck the baby Foxes), and the night is winding down. Andrew has spent the majority of the evening watching Neil’s cheeks get rosier and rosier, listening to the laugh that his friends can coax out of him so much easier when he’s been drinking.

Kevin took himself off to their suite a little while ago, and as Andrew notices Neil stumble for the umpteenth time, he thinks it best they call it a night as well.

“Neil,” he says, and Neil looks up immediately from where he’s half-perched on the arm of the sofa next to where Matt is sitting.

He smiles dopily. “Andrew.”

“I’m going back,” Andrew says. “Did you want to stay?” He’d rather Neil come with him now, of course, but their room is only two doors down and Neil is free to do what he likes.

He likes Andrew though, is the thing, and Andrew knows this all too well.

“Nah, I’m tired,” Neil says, slurring a little. “I’ll come with you.” Then he grins and drapes an arm over Matt’s shoulder and leans his cheek on Matt's head. “This is the guy, right here. This is the guy.”

“What guy?” Andrew asks as Matt bursts out laughing and pats Neil’s hand affectionately.

“Just… just the guy, Andrew. Matt’s the guy.”

“Andrew, take your boy home. He’s drunk,” Allison pipes up from the other end of the sofa, and that, everyone can agree on.

It takes some gentle prying to get Neil to let go of Matt, but eventually he does and instead clings to Andrew’s hand as he’s led from the room. He calls out his adorations and goodnights to everyone else who chorus back with just as much love and affection, but then as soon as the door closes behind them, it’s blissfully quiet.

Or it is until Andrew gets Neil back to their suite.

“I’m going for a run in the morning,” Neil blurts loudly when Andrew lets go of his hand. “I’m gonna go for the best run ever.”

“I think you might want to reassess that decision when you wake up. And keep your voice down, Kevin’s sleeping.”

“Oh noooo,” Neil says with drunken sarcasm, and starts giggling.

Andrew wouldn’t normally care, but everyone suffers when Kevin doesn’t get his beauty rest, and he quickly shepherds Neil into the bathroom.

It takes longer than it should to cajole Neil into brushing his teeth, and longer still to get him changed into his PJs. Neil is next to no help and instead gazes at Andrew with unabashed adoration.

It’s only tolerable because Andrew is otherwise distracted by his task at hand.

Mercifully, like all trials and tribulations, it comes to an end and Neil finally settles in his bed, falling asleep almost immediately. How Kevin remained asleep through the entire ordeal is little short of a miracle, but Andrew supposes Kevin had his own fair share of drinks tonight.

As Andrew gets himself ready for bed, his overriding thought is that Neil is going to be in a  _world_ of pain in the morning. And a hungover Neil is – well, it’s an experience that Andrew is still learning to navigate.

It’ll be a long day.

* * *

 

Andrew’s the first to wake up, as he knew he would be.

He quietly climbs out of his loft and pads to the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee. Kevin and Neil are definitely going to need some, and so is Andrew if he’s going to have to put up with their shit.

He’s made his way through one cup and two cigarettes up on his desk by the window before Kevin stumbles out and into the bathroom, nothing more than a grunt in Andrew’s direction to acknowledge his presence.

In fairness, once Kevin’s out of the shower he seems considerably more refreshed and when he’s dressed he pours himself a cup of coffee and perches next to Andrew on his desk.

“What time did you and Neil come back last night?” 

Andrew shrugs. “About an hour after you.”

“Did Neil get any drunker than he was after I left?”

“Yes,” Andrew says with a sigh, and Kevin cracks a smile. “What are you doing today, anyway?”

“Coach is picking me up in twenty. We’re grabbing brunch.”

Andrew raises an eyebrow. “Father-son bonding?”

Kevin looks away, sheepish. “Something like that.” He redirects. “What about you guys, any plans?”

Neil chooses that moment to let out a colossal pained groan from the bedroom, one that sounds an awful lot like, “Huuuurnghhhh.”

Andrew jerks his head towards the source of that sound. “I’ll be dealing with  _that_ all day.”

“Ha. Rather you than me.”

Kevin leaves soon after and Neil’s yet to actually emerge from his pit. Andrew considers just letting him sleep it off, but at a certain point Neil will have to start re-fuelling. And sleeping all day will just throw off his body clock, and the little Exy junkie won’t like that.

Andrew hops down from his desk and heads to the bedroom to pick up his car keys. “Get up, Neil,” he says, and throws the curtains wide open. Neil practically hisses and curls further in on himself.

All Andrew can see is a tuft of auburn curls sticking out the top of Neil’s duvet, and he sits on the mattress next to him.

“I’m gonna head out and grab some food, and while I’m gone you should really get up and shower.”

Neil grunts.

“You’ll feel better,” Andrew adds.

“Just leave me here to  _die_ ,” Neil says hoarsely.

“Okay,” Andrew says matter-of-factly. “But if I get back and you’re still in bed I’m not sharing any of my food with you.”

The duvet shifts down a little and one of Neil’s eyes peers out accusingly. “You don’t mean that,” he says.

“Try me.”

Neil pokes his whole face out now, goes wide-eyed and full on pouts. Because hungover Neil is an unapologetic drama queen.

Andrew gets to his feet, keys in hand, and makes for the door. “Those puppy-dog eyes don’t work on me,” he says, which isn’t true at all, actually, and is part of the reason he’s leaving so abruptly. 

He’s a little longer out than he means to be because he can’t decide what to get. Comfort food seems best, but it’s a toss-up as to whether or not Neil will actually be able to keep anything down. He gets some juice and gatorade, and a smorgasbord of food that Neil can choose between. He detours to Dunkin’ Donuts on the way back because Neil likes their coffee, and Andrew likes their donuts.

When he gets back to Fox Tower, the figure on the sofa is one that much better resembles Neil Josten than the goblin who was occupying his bed this morning. Neil’s clearly heeded Andrew’s advice and showered because his hair still looks a little damp, and he’s dressed in clean sweats and a long sleeved tee.

He’s also watching a movie, and as Andrew drops his shopping bags onto the kitchen counter and sees what movie it is he sighs.

“Neil, no,” he says, exasperated. “You are far too emotionally fragile to be watching The Fox and the Hound right now.”

“It’s just a cartoon,” Neil grumbles back. “How bad can it be? The little fox’s mom already died, can’t get worse than that.”

He’s got  _no_ idea. Not even Andrew is unaffected by The Fox and the fucking Hound.

Neil’s not to be swayed, and although he decides he can’t eat anything yet, he gratefully accepts the coffee. Andrew wraps a blanket around Neil’s shoulders before sitting next to him, and he steadily starts to make his way through the donuts.

Every so often, he sneaks a glance at Neil out of the corner of his eye, but Neil remains huddled in his blanket, eyes on the screen. Transfixed.

The dreaded scene approaches, and it’s hard to watch even though Andrew’s seen it before and knows what’s going to happen.

On screen, as Tod the unsuspecting fox gets driven out to the woods and the sad little goodbye song starts to play, Neil goes suspiciously quiet.

And then, as the old lady drives away and Tod sits all alone and it starts to rain, Neil lets out a telltale sniff.

Andrew looks at him.

Neil’s eyes are swimming with huge-ass Ghibli tears, his lower lip wobbling helplessly in a way that tells Andrew he’s trying  _really_ hard not to cry.

It’s the cutest shit Andrew has ever fucking seen and it pulls on every single one of his heartstrings.

“Neil,” Andrew says in the softest tone he has, and Neil looks around, blinks, and two tears drip down his face in quick succession.

“She just – left him?” Neil asks, breath hitching in the middle.

“Yes. But it’s supposed to be for his own good.”

“But he doesn’t understand that,” Neil says thickly.

“No,” Andrew says, and he reaches out a hand and brushes some of the hair out of Neil’s face. “Not yet.”

Neil sniffs again and looks back to the screen. More tears queue up.

Hungover Neil, it’s important to note, can get very weepy.

“Neil, come here.”

Neil moves instantly, nestling into Andrew’s side, and Andrew wipes the tears from Neil’s face with the sleeve of his t-shirt.

“You’re a mess, Josten,” he says.

“Leave me alone,” Neil whines. “I’m delicate today.”

Andrew almost snorts. “Delicate,” he repeats derisively. But it is hard to argue with that assessment when he has a still snivelling Neil tucked under his arm, crying over a Disney movie.

A very sad Disney movie, sure. But  _still_.

They stay that way for the remainder of the movie, Neil’s legs draped over Andrew’s, fist clutched loosely in Andrew’s shirt. There’s a couple more silent tears before the end, but Andrew dutifully wipes them away.

By the time Kevin returns, Andrew has managed to gently bully Neil into eating something. They’re still on the sofa, Neil with a gatorade clutched between his hands. He’s no longer quite as pale as he was first thing, but he’s still clingy as hell and Andrew doesn’t mind at all.

“Afternoon,” Kevin says brightly to Neil, because he loves it when people are more hungover than he is.

“Fuck you.”

Kevin laughs and as he’s walking past he spots the DVD case on the coffee table. 

“You watched this  _today_?” he says incredulously. “But it’s so sad!”

“I  _know_ ,” Neil says, a slight waver in his voice. Andrew shoots Kevin a pointed look that he hopes conveys a silent request to  _stop talking immediately_. To no avail, however.

“Oh man,” Kevin continues, “that bit when she takes Tod out and leaves him in the woods…” He trails off when he sees that Neil has hidden his face in Andrew’s neck, shaking with tiny little sobs.

“Nice job, Kevin,” Andrew says drily, stroking Neil’s hair soothingly. “Real fucking smooth.”

“Ah. Oops.”


End file.
